2024-07-26 00:37:40
With the Olympics just hours away, some restaurant owners are frustrated with traffic conditions at their establishments, while roads have never been more complicated for local drivers.
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Many people are angry, mainly those near the Seine, because they are in the “red zone”. As a result, tourists have fewer opportunities to visit restaurants as streets are blocked off.
Most entrepreneurs are now experiencing a decline in turnover; some point to losses of between 70% and 80%.
Pascal Mousset, president of the French Restaurant Group, said some people have even decided to close branches.
“This week has been a very strange situation, we have no tourists, no Parisians, no people working in Paris,” he explained.
Romain Vidal, owner of Le Sully restaurant, told TVA Nouvelles about his new daily life in recent days.
“The saddest thing for us is that we received communications from the government saying we had to leave [la ville] To serve Olympic tourists,” he said.
According to him, the company will force employees to work remotely from mid-July to the end of the Olympics.
Therefore, without tourists and French citizens, it would be difficult for restaurant entrepreneurs to make ends meet.
Authorities plan to remove the barriers after Friday’s opening ceremony, which could give them a second chance.
“It’s such a mess”
Drivers’ patience will be tested just hours before the Olympics start. Walking on the streets was a real pain in the ass due to the large number of police roadblocks.
“There are roadblocks everywhere, everything is blocked, it’s very complicated,” said a driver. Long live the Olympics, but it will be nice when the games are over.
For another driver, the challenge is easier. He showed his certification card to the camera and said “everything went well” for him.
“I have all the certifications and I can go anywhere I want, anytime,” he added.
TVA news screenshot
The situation remains difficult for cyclists, who have to work extra hard to get through.
“It’s a real mess, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said one Frenchman.
While public transportation remains one of the best ways to get around, some stations are closed for safety reasons.
Paris’s Ring Road will have to prepare for huge crowds on Friday as 320,000 spectators are expected to head to the Seine. Nearly 250 buses full of athletes are also expected.
Police headquarters may close the loop.
See our Paris correspondent Kevin Crane-Desmarais in the video above.
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